franks



G. N. FRANKS COTTON SAMPLER Nov. 11, 1958 Filed Nov. 2e,' 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1.

INVENTOR G.N -FRANKS\ ATTORNEY Nov. 11,1958 6. N. FRANKS COTTON SAMPLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26. 1957 INVENTOR G. N. FRANKS 02 ATTORNEY Nov. 11, 1958 G. NhFRANKs 2,859,485

COTTON SAMPLER Filed Nov. 26, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR G.N. FRAN KS ATTORNEY United States COTTON SAMPLER Gerald N. Franks, Greenville, Miss.; dedicated to the Public A non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in the invention herein described, throughout the world for all purposes of the United States Government, with the power to grant sublicenses for such purposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United States of America.

The patent rights for the United States in any invention in the patent to be granted on this application are dedicated to the public.

This invention relates to a machine for taking samples of cotton immediately prior to baling.

A sample of cotton to be characteristic of the bale must be taken after all ginning and cleaning steps. Frequently, samplers have been located immediately ahead of the condenser, taking the sample from the lint flue which conveys the cotton to the condenser. Such location of the sampler is not possible, however, in some atent O installations in which a lint cleaner is placed immediately 1 ahead of the condenser.

The present invention provides a sampler which takes the sample directly from the condenser. Its operation is continuous and automatic.

In general, according to the invention, the sampler has a rotatable sample collecting cylinder provided with peripheral teeth. It is so positioned relative to the' usual condenser so the teeth will bite into, collect and pull out a sample from the stream of cotton as the stream leaves the condenser. Means is provided for osciLating at regular intervals the rotatable sample collecting cylinder towards and away from the cotton stream. At the instant the cylinder moves away from the stream the sample is pulled out. The sampler picks out samples at regular intervals in a continuous operation. Means is also provided for dofiing the collected samples from the collecting cylinder. The samples thus obtained may be gathered together and packaged in the usual manner so as to provide a sample lot for each bale.

For a detail description of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a central section through the samp er in a position of operation for collecting a sample from the cotton stream, showing also a part of the condenser;

Fig. 2 is a section similar to Fig. 1, but showing the sampler in the dofiing position;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the left side of the sampler;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the right side;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 3.

The condenser, of a usual construction, is provided with a condenser drum 11 having a screen surface and a pair of condenser drum doffing rolls 12 and 13 placed one above the other in the manner illustrated. The cotton emerges from between these rolls in a continuous stream 14, from where it travels through lint slide 15 to a cotton press (not shown).

The sampler parts are mounted on a stationary frame 20. An oscillating frame structure 21 is mounted on pivot pins 22 and 23.

Sample collecting cylinder 24, mounted on rotatable drive shaft 25 carried by the oscillating frame, is provided with peripheral teeth 26. The sampler should be constructed such that the collecting cylinder is essentially co-extensive in length with the condenser drum in order to obtain characteristic samples.

Cylinder 24 is caused to move towards the cotton stream 14 at regular intervals by means of rotating cams 27 and 28 mounted on rotatable shaft 29. The cam actuates follow rollers 30 and 31 attached to the oscillating frame structure 21. Tension springs 32'and 33 attached between the upper ends of frame 20 and frame structure 21 causes the collecting cylinder to move away from the cotton stream.

If the stream of cotton 14 was not held while the sample is being collected on the teeth, the tendency would be for the teeth to drag the part of the cotton stream leaving dofiing roll 13 along with them. To prevent this action a hard compression roller 40 is fixed on shaft 41 rotatably mounted on frame structure 21 in such position that the compression roller engages the cotton stream and presses it tightly against dofiing roll 13 while the teeth collect the sample.

As will be noted from the drawing, cams 27 and 28 are so shaped as to allow a sharp drop off of the follow rollers. This structure provides for a quick movement of the collecting cylinder away from the cotton stream and results in a breaking away of the sample. The teeth on the collecting cylinder move while collecting the sample at about the same surface speed as, or only slightly in excess thereof, the speed of the cotton stream, thus preventing a tearing up or damaging of the sample. The quick movement of the collecting cy.inder away from the cotton is required to break the sample away from the cotton stream, thus to prevent a continuous winding of the stream onto the collecting cylinder.

After the sample has been pulled out of the cotton stream by the teeth 26, it is carried on for a part of the revolution of the collecting cylinder and is then dofied therefrom by means of a conventional doffer 45. This dofier is provided with a core 46 mounted on shaft 47 which in turn is rotatably mounted on stationary frame 20. The doffer is provided with resilient flaps 48 on its surface which moves adjacent to the peripheral teeth during the doffing interval, but in the opposite direction. Since the teeth are inclined forwardly for biting into the cotton stream to collect the sample, the direction of rotation of the collecting cylinder is reversed during the interval of dofiing so that the doffer can easily, even under slow speed, sweep the samples from the teeth. Such a structure provides for minimum working and consequent alteration of the samples.

The samples may be conveyed from the dotfer and collected in any desired number to form a sample lot characteristic of the bale.

The sampler is driven by a power belt 49, powered in any desired manner as, for example, by a variable speed motor 50. The power belt drives pulley 51 fixed to shaft 29 and pulley 52 fixed to shaft 47.

The opposite end of shaft 47 carries pulley 53 which drives belt 54. Belt 54 drives a double pulley 55 rotatably mounted on spindle 56, the pulley having belt seats 57 and 58, and also drives a double pulley 60 rotatably mounted on spindle 61, the pulley having seats 62 and 63. Belt 54 is tensioned by threading it over tension pulley 65 of a conventional design.

The collecting cylinder 24 and compressing roller 40 are both driven by belt 70 belted over pulleys 71 and 72, fixed to shafts 25 and 41, respectively. Belt 70 is also belted over an idler pulley 73 rotating on spindle 74 with its axis coincident with the axes of pivot pins 22 I and 23.

For the position of operation of the sampler as shown in Fig. 1, belt 70 engages in belt seat 63 of pulley 60 and is thus driven in the proper direction to cause the teeth on the collecting cylinder to pull out a sample Upon movement of the collecting cylinder away from the cotton stream and into dofiing position the belt is disengaged from seat 63 and is brought into engagement with seat 58 of pulley 55, thus to reverse the direction of the belt and in turn reverse the direction of rotation of the collecting cylinder.

The relative speeds of the parts are subject to variation as previously described. The tip speed of the teeth 26 should be substantially the same as the speed of the cotton stream as it emerges from the condenser and the speed will therefore be determined by the condenser drum speed. The number of cycles of the collecting cylinder towards and away from the cotton stream will depend on the number of individual samples desired from any bale. For example, if it is desired to take six individual samples, as a sample lot for the bale during the course of ginning one bale, and if the condenser and press make up a bale in 12 minutes, then the sample should be designed to give one revolution of cams 27, 28 in two minutes.

Iclaim:

1. A cotton sampler comprising a rotatable sample collecting cylinder provided with peripheral teeth for picking off and holding a sample of cotton as the cotton leaves a condenser drum in a continuous stream, means for oscillating at regular intervals the rotatable cylinder towards and away from the cotton stream so that the peripheral teeth bite into and collect a sample from the stream and pull the same out of the stream with each oscillating interval, and means for doffing the collected samples from the collecting cylinder.

2. The sampler of claim 1 in which the peripheral teeth are inclined forwardly relative to the direction of their movement as they bite into and collect the sample from the stream, in which the direction of rotation of the collecting cylinder is reversed during the interval of doffing the sample therefrom, and in which the means for dofling the collected samples from the collecting cylinder comprises a rotatable dofier provided with a dofiing surface so mounted that the dofling surface moves adjacent to the peripheral teeth in the opposite direction.

3. In combination a cotton condenser drum, a pair of condenser drum dofling rolls from between which the cotton emerges in a continuous stream, and a cotton cylinder towards and away from the cotton stream so that the peripheral teeth bite into and collect a sample from the stream and pull the sample out of the stream with each oscillation interval, and meansfor dofiing the collected samples from the collecting cylinder.

4. In combination a cotton condenser drum, a pair of condenser drum dofiing rolls placed one above the other from between which the cotton emerges in a continuous stream and flows over the lowermost roll, and a cotton sampler, said sampler comprising a rotatable sample collecting cylinder provided with peripheral teeth for picking otf and holding a sample of cotton as the cotton emerges from between the condenser drum doffing rolls, a rotatable compression roller engaging the cotton stream and pressing it tightly against the lowermost condenser drum dofiing roll while the sample is being picked off, means for oscillating at regular intervals the rotatable cylinder towards and away from the cotton stream so that the peripheral teeth bite into and collect a sample from the stream and pull the sample out of the stream with each oscillation interval, and means for dotfing the samples from the collecting cylinder.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which the peripheral teeth are inclined forwardly rotative to the direction of their movement as they bite into and collect the sample from the stream, in which the direction of rotation of the collecting cylinder is reversed during the interval of dotting the sample therefrom, and in which the means for doffing the collected samples from the collecting cylinder comprises a rotatable doffer roll provided with a doffing surface so mounted that the doffing surface moves adjacent to the peripheral teeth in the opposite direction.

6. The combination of claim 4 in which the means for oscillating the collecting cylinder towards and away from the cotton stream is constructed to provide for a quick movement of the collecting cylinder away from the cotton stream.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,166,811 Gaus July 18, 1939 

